Intentions
by Bordeaux
Summary: Another Balthier x Penelo one shot. I'm just cranking these out lately... A sort of follow up to Ribbon Traps. Vaan catches the pair and holds an inquisition. Enjoy!


Disclaimer: I own nothing

Intentions

"So, what are your intentions?" Vaan sat opposite of the sky pirate and his childhood best friend, arms crossed with a patronizing gaze. The blond girl played with her fingers nervously, face red with embarrassment while the rest of the party looked on.

"Intentions? I'm a sky pirate, Vaan. I'm after _treasure_, of course." As he drawled in his usual leisurely tone, he took one hand and intertwined his fingers with Penelo's. The girl squeaked in surprise and grew even more red, but did not withdraw her hand.

Vaan was so angry he could hardly speak, struggling to form sentences. "Balthier, this is serious! If you're just playing around or if you hurt her, I'll – "

Balthier gasped and pulled his and Penelo's hand to his chest over his heart. "Vaan, I take my role very seriously. As the leading man, I have naught but the most honorable of intentions." He placed a kiss on the delicate hand and winked at the girl.

"Honorable? You just said you're a pirate! Y-You… I promised her brother I would look after her and I won't let some _floozy_ – "

"Vaan!" Penelo interrupted. Really, there's no need for name-calling. She sat and wondered how they got to be where they were. She vaguely remembered a kiss last month that had started from her forehead and slowly migrated down to her lips. In the delirium of the fever that left her bed-ridden on the Strahl, his lips felt like flower petals that brushed softly against her face. In her haze, she heard his voice – "Do you like me too?" She thought she saw, for the first time, the glaze of vulnerability in his eyes. Weakly, she nodded and that smile on his face did her in. From that day, she constantly felt herself tugged into empty rooms and halls, his lips attached to hers as if he was trying to suck the air out of her lungs. He would secretly hold her hand under the table at dinner and no one noticed a thing, except Fran, who narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. And then, of all people, she had to get caught by Vaan.

As always, he overreacted and assembled everyone for an "emergency meeting." Penelo sincerely believed that she had never been so embarrassed in her entire life.

In the silence, the tension grew thick as Mist with no one really brave enough to break it. Finally, the youngest spoke up. In his usual soft way, Larsa's voice carried a sharp edge that threatened in its elegant tones. "Although I do think that Vaan overreacted a bit, I will also not stand to see Penelo hurt or her reputation ruined. Therefore, if I am to hear any indiscretion on your part, Balthier, I will not hesitate to up the bounty on your head."

At first, Balthier wanted to ask, "what reputation? She travels with sky pirates!" Looking around and seeing the nods around the room, however, he thought better of it.

"And the kingdom of Dalmasca will not stand for it either. As queen, I'm warning you. I'm sure Basch stands with me in this matter as well. It is, after all, a question of honor." Balthier looked from the queen to the captain and, sure enough, with sword in hand, Basch looked suspiciously at him. And to think, the pirate had been the first to believe the captain's story!

"Well, this is a bit more hostile than I expected! No matter. I know I have at least one ally. Fran?" He looked hopefully at the Viera only to find her icy stare. "Oh come on! Give a guy a break! Besides, Why do I have to be the one with the indiscretions! Maybe she is the one besmirching my honor or – " At this, Basch and Vaan had their swords nearly halfway out of the hilt and the air crackled with Fran's magic.

Penelo vaguely heard Vaan mutter something that entailed giving him a break – of a body part anyway. Here, she finally spoke up. "Oh stop it! I can take care of myself. And this is something that both of us want. It's not as if Balthier would force me to do anything; he's a perfect gentleman." At this, Vaan looked skeptical, but he closed his mouth the minute she glared him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we are going to spend some post-inquisition alone time and you're going to deal with it! Perhaps I'll go besmirch his honor or some other crime you accuse him of!" She grabbed his hand and left the room in a hurry, before her courage failed her.

Just as the door closed, Vaan had to get the last word in as he yelled after them. "You better marry her!" The two finally returned to the sanctuary of his room. With a shaky sigh, she plopped herself in a wooden chair by his desk – the ship captain's chair that he only allows her to sit in. With an amused smirk at the audacity and, well, feistiness of his lady love, he looked at her with even more admiration for the way she defended him. No one had ever defended his character in such a way as she had. Leaning unusually in the table covered in maps with his arms crossed, he said after a moment of silence,"You heard that? I'm supposed to marry you."

"Ha! Now is that before or after you get that treasure you were flaunting to Vaan?"

"Well, as the leading man, I'm supposed to go through some sort of positive transformation. What do you say, Penny? Make an honest man out of the villainous sky pirate?" He smiled at her blush. He was joking, but on some level, he was quite serious. Although they had never… how would Vaan put it… compromised her honor, he knew that there was no other woman he could spend the rest of his life with except for the selfless, optimistic, and most of all, kind Penelo.

"Well, we'll see about that. In the mean time, can I ask you a question?" Her voice, rather than being flustered, returned to her innocent tone – one that he absolutely adored, especially when she looked up at him, love and admiration shining clearly in her eyes.

"What is it, love?"

"Well, what does it mean to besmirch someone's honor?" Balthier laughed. Oh, they still have a long way to go. But what a journey…


End file.
